Weekly Notes for March 20th

Weekly Notes for  March 20th,  2017 

Dear A2 STEAM families,

March is Reading Month (MIRM)

We are well into MIRM and students are enjoying reading the LORAX.

This year for March is Reading Month (MIRM) we will be doing some key community-building literacy events interspersed throughout the month. The first is the Read It Forward program, where we attempt to get all students and staff at A2 STEAM to read the same book. The book is currently a mystery, but will be revealed on Wednesday, March 1st. To find out more about the Read It Forward program, watch this short video: https://goo.gl/0ghd8h

The second big event is the annual Used Book Sale, happening on Thursday, March 30th from 4:30-7:00pm in conjunction with the Expo. All items will cost a $.50 and all proceeds will go toward boosting the Media Center program at A2 STEAM. Used book collection will take place from March 1st - March 24th. Look for more information about what items you can donate soon.

Climate Survey Window: The 2017 School Climate Survey Is Here! Make Your Voice Count!

Ann Arbor Public Schools’ annual School Climate Survey is live now through March 28th.  Now’s your chance to share feedback about what our school does well and how we can improve.  All parents, employees, and students in grades 3–12 are invited to participate. This survey will help us to identify trends in perceptions, monitor the climate in our school, evaluate our progress, and understand the ongoing needs of our community.

Survey questions address academic preparation, student support and engagement, school leadership, parent engagement, safety and behavior, and school operations, among other topics. All parents/guardians with a current email address on file received a personal invitation and survey link but parents may also take the survey at http://tiny.cc/AAPS2017ParentSurvey. We are pleased to offer the survey in English, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. 

It's compatible with any computer, tablet, or smartphone and parents without Internet access can request a paper survey at our office.

Independent research and communications firm K12 Insight is administering the survey and compiling the results andALL responses are strictly confidential.  We hope you will take 15 minutes and share your experiences and perceptions with us. 

Upcoming Events for this week!

Monday,  March 20th - Used Book Sale continues this week
                                     3:15 6th grade Volleyball practice

     

Tuesday, March 21st -  Severe Weather Drill

                                 

Wednesday, March 22nd- IEP  meetings 
                                          Staff meeting 3:15 - 4:45 PM

Thursday, March 23rd- HS Counselors visit A2 STEAM 8th grade
                                      6th grade Thumbs Up
                                     Springmatter Fund mtg

Friday, March 24th- 7th / 8th grade Thumbs Up mtgs
                                 6th grade Volleyball game at Slauson

Weekly Notes for  March 6th,  2017 

Dear A2 STEAM families,

March is Reading Month

Here is a summary of all of the events happening during the month of March:

This year for March is Reading Month (MIRM) we will be doing some key community-building literacy events interspersed throughout the month. The first is the Read It Forward program, where we attempt to get all students and staff at A2 STEAM to read the same book. The book is currently a mystery, but will be revealed on Wednesday, March 1st. To find out more about the Read It Forward program, watch this short video: https://goo.gl/0ghd8h

The second big event is the annual Used Book Sale, happening on Thursday, March 30th from 4:30-7:00pm in conjunction with the Expo. All items will cost a $.50 and all proceeds will go toward boosting the Media Center program at A2 STEAM. Used book collection will take place from March 1st - March 24th. Look for more information about what items you can donate soon.

Please consider volunteering throughout the month of March at a time convenient to you to sort books, set up the event, handle money for a ½ slot during the sale, or clean up after the sale. If you are interested in volunteering, please follow this link to the Sign-Up Genius. Thank you in advance for your contributions!

We will also be hosting a local Michigan author, Jack Cheng, who will speak about his new book, See You in the Cosmos, for students in Grades 6-8. This event is hosted by Nicola’s Books and will take place during 7th hour on Thursday, March 9th. Students will have the opportunity to purchase the book in advance and have it signed by the author.

Lastly, students have a chance to “get caught” reading. Simply take a picture of your student with their favorite book and email it to Ms. Reader (reader@aaps.k12.mi.us) to be added to our community Get Caught Reading wall.

Let’s get ready to READ A2 STEAM!!

Wednesday, March 8th is EARLY RELEASE: Please mark you calendars.   Students will be dismissed at 10:50 am so that staff may write Report Cards in the afternoon. Please make sure you have a plan in place for pick up and childcare for the afternoon. Busses will leave STEAM by 11:00 AM to drop off their bus riders.  

Climate Survey Window: As we have done in previous years the district will survey every student in grades 3-12 during school hours between March 14^th & March 28^th. All staff and parents will receive a link via email inviting them to participate as well.  The district will also provide a public link which will be posted to our website.  More specific details will be available next week. 

Upcoming Events for this week!

Monday,  March 6th - Used Book Sale continues this week

                                  8:10-8:30 - 7th Grade Thumbs Up Reward

                                  12:50 - 2:50  UM Battery Lab - Guest Speakers 8th grade

Tuesday, March 7th - 

                                 8:10-8:30 - 6th Grade Thumbs Up Reward

                                 9:30 - 11:30  Field Trip - 3rd Grade Yankee Air Museum (Plott)
Wednesday, March 8th 
                                  10:50  Early Release day for students.  

Thursday, March 9th
                                8:10-8:30 - 8th Grade Thumbs Up Reward
                                9:30 - 11:30  Field Trip - 3rd Grade Yankee Air Museum (Hatt/Conrad)
                                12:00 - 2:00 FT - 1st Grade Planetarium (Semrau)

                                1:50 - 2:50  Gr 6-8 Jack Cheng Author Visit

Friday, March 10th

                               Trimester 2 Ends

                               12:00 - 2:00  FT - 1st Grade Planetarium (Masdon/Pierce)

                               6:00 - 8:00 Fun Night - Grade 3-5

Weekly Notes for  February 12th,  2017 

Dear A2 STEAM families,

NAAPID- Tomorrow is National African American Parent Involvement Day. A flyer will be sent home tomorrow with the activities for the day.  We hope you ALL will come to school for all or part of the day to visit your child(ren) and participate in the activities we have planned.

Pennies for Pasta-  A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to our Pennies for Pasta Drive.  The school raised $6064. 96   The money will go to help support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Way to Go A2 STEAM!  

Zap Zone - Thank you to PTO for organizing the Zap Zone Fundraiser last Thursday.  Lots of fun was had by all.

Orchestra Night- Last Thursday I accompanied the 7th/ 8th grade Orchestra students to Hill Auditorium for Orchestra Night.  It was an amazing experience for them to collectively play with AA Open for the wonderful event.

Upcoming events for the week!

Monday, February 13th -    NAAPID All Day A2 STEAM.   
                                              5:30 - 8:30 NAAPID at Night- WCC  

Tuesday,  February 14th-     Valentines Day!
                                                9:30 - 11:30  2nd Grade FT to Jiffy Mix
                                                1:20 - 1:50 Luxon Vocal Informance
                                                Boys 7th/8th grade Basketball Game Home

Wednesday, February 15th-  11:50 - 12:30  Jackson Vocal Informance
                                                 12:20 - 12:50  Loomis Vocal Informance

Thursday, February 16th-     100th Day of School - Kindergarten celebrates
                                                 9:00 - 10:00 Tour of A2 STEAM
                                                 Boys 7th/8th grade Basketball Game at Forsythe
                                                 7:00 - 8:30 AM Safe Routes to School Public input meeting

Friday, February 17th -          4:00 - 5:30     6th grade Boys Basketball Game Home vs Clague
   

Weekly Notes for  January 30th,  2017 

Dear A2 STEAM families,  The events over the weekend regarding National immigration regulations have been very concerning to all of us.  We want to reassure ALL families that A2 STEAM is here to support every student.  The above message speaks to our mission at A2 STEAM.  Please read the statement sent by Dr. Swift this AM to all families via school messenger.   Let us know if we can can be of assistance in any way.  Sincerely, Ms. Fitzgibbon

Fun Night - K-2   Thank you to Carrie Bank for organizing a successful Fun Night for K-2.  We appreciate the parent support as we continue to build community.

Mid Term Grade MS-  Released Friday please check powerschool

Upcoming events for the week!

Monday, January 30th -     4:00 PM   6th Grade Boys Basketball Game @ Home vs Scarlett
Tuesday, January 31st -      Pierce / Semrau Field Trip to UMMA 12:00 - 1:30 PM
Wednesday, February 1st-  8th grade Field Trip - Holocaust Memorial Center 9:30 - 2:00 PM
                                               Boys 7th/8th grade Basketball Game Home
Thursday, February 2nd-   PTO Meeting and Coffee Hour 8:00 -9:00 AM MPR
                                              9:00 - 10:00 First grade Project Hour sharing
Friday, February 3rd-           Orchestra Field trip AA Open
                                              Boys 7th / 8th grade Basketball at Clague

Weekly Notes for  January 23rd,  2017 

Dear A2 STEAM families,  

2017 Best Public Elementary Schools in Michigan: Metro Parent Daily Newspaper for Southeast Michigan recently released their top 100 Elementary school in Michigan.  A2 STEAM at Northside made the list and came in at #40th! Way to go STEAM! Besides this statistic on the same site we are ranked #2 in diversity out of 1,672 elementary schools in Michigan and #55 of the best teachers out of 1,385 on the same site! When we tell our story it does get noticed.  Thank you all for your efforts EACH day.  Your work does not go unnoticed. Here is the website for reference:

http://www.metroparent.com/daily/education/public-schools/best-public-elementary-schools-in-michigan/

NWEA Winter Assessments: Many staff are assessing their students to see how much growth their students have made and adjusting their student Goal Sheets which were developed in the fall. Staff are also adjusting instruction based on these assessments as well.

Tuesday, January 24th - 6th grade Band Orchestra Concert- 7 - 8 PM 

Friday January 27th- Middle School Interim grades sent available

Friday, January 27th- K-2 Fun Night for STEAM students and grades with the exception of siblings.